The 41-year-old has scored 202 runs for DC in IPL 2025
Faf du Plessis has been a T20 journey man for many years now. The Proteas batting great has played franchise cricket all over the world and knows very well how franchises can turn their back on prized players based on just one season alone.
After his two long stints with arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru where he left as a fan favorite, Du Plessis was bought by Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction and could’ve served a fixture in the top order.
But unfortunately an injury kept the 41-year-old on the sidelines and only played as a captain when regular skipper Axar Patel was out due to illness. Besides a fifty against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the veteran wasn’t able to affect the result in many games as DC finished fifth in the points table. It is likely Du Plessis will be released into the auction for IPL 2026.
Here are three teams who could target the South African great in the auction.
The three-time champions are in desperate need of experienced batters in their ranks after repeatedly failing to build on a good foundation in IPL 2025. Du Plessis averages a superb 36 while batting first from 76 IPL innings and possesses a strike rate of 134. He also averages an equally healthy 34 from 71 innings while chasing at a strike rate 137.
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Whether it is in the top-four or as an opener, Du Plessis will be a value addition for KKR who have been rudderless in their title defence in 2025.
The South African’s ability to play according to the situation without ever feeling pressure is the thing KKR need if they are to challenge for the playoffs in IPL 2026.
In Rahul Dravid’s second stint and this time as the head coach of the team, Rajasthan Royals were in shambles as a batting unit. They were destructive at the top, but were clearly toothless in the middle-order when it mattered the most. Although it might seem that Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag are their fixed top-four, having an experienced campaigner with a proven track record of finishing games is necessary for the stability of their top-order.
Parag has shown his ability to score big within few balls, which can allow for Du Plessis to play in the top-three with Samson and his deputy batting one place below the usual.
If there is a player who can fill in the void left by Jos Buttler, Du Plessis is the safest option.
LSG might look to retain their best three batters – Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh – for the next season, but there is no guarantee that the franchise known for the auction mistakes will keep all three of them. Their pace department was chiefly lacking in resources in IPL 2025 and either one of their batting stars could be off-loaded in search of a pace recruit.
Faf du Plessis, who is also a safe bet for teams in the auction without attracting too many bids, could be snapped up by LSG. The experienced campaigner can add dynamism to LSG’s batting that went bust if the top three failed.
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